And lots of seabirds, many of which are very confiding, including White Tern, Red-tailed and White-tailed Tropicbirds, Great and
Lesser Frigatebirds, Polynesian and White-faced Storm Petrels, Henderson, Murphy’s and Tahiti Petrels, noddies and boobies

As well as Humpback Whales

All in true tropical paradises, from low-lying atolls with coconut palms above white sand beaches to high volcanic islands

The island of Rimatara in the Austral (Bass/Tubuai) Islands in southern French Polynesia far south of Tahiti is
home to the only natural population of Kuhl’s (Rimatara) Lorikeet and the endemic Rimatara Reed Warbler. The other Austral Islands endemic is Rapa Fruit
Dove on the island of Rapa (Iti) which along with Motu Tarakoi is also home to high numbers of nesting seabirds including Rapa (Newell's) Shearwater,
Murphy's and Kermadec Petrels, Polynesian and White-bellied (endemic titan subspecies) Storm-Petrels, Red-tailed Tropicbird and (Common) White
Tern.

The many introduced species on Tahiti include Swamp Harrier, Zebra Dove, Red-vented Bulbul, Common Myna, Silvereye, Crimson-backed Tanager, Common
Waxbill, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin and Red-browed Firetail.

Other Natural Wonders in Polynesia

Bora-Bora
The classic Pacific atoll; an extinct, sunken volcano in a shallow, sandy lagoon encircled by long, narrow coral islands (motus), about 200 km
(125 miles) northwest of Tahiti. The main island, in the middle of the lagoon, is up to about 8 km (5 miles) long and up to 5 km (3 miles) wide, rising
to 727 m (2385 ft). It’s a beautiful scene and to cap it all Bora-Bora is also one of the best places for scuba-diving and snorkeling in the world,
with numerous fish including Manta Rays.

Where to watch birds in Australasia & Oceania by N Wheatley. Helm, 1998.

Don’t know which countries/islands/regions to visit in Oceania? Then it may be worth considering taking a look
at this book, written by this website’s author. It is many years old of course but it still provides a starting point, an overview and a guiding
light to the best birds and the best places to look for them in the region, and could save hours of searching for similar information on the
internet. However, it is important to check more up-to-date sources for sites which have been opened up, sites and species which have been
discovered, lodges that have been built etc. since the book was published.

Birding and Wildlife Trip Reports for Polynesia

Many trip reports, some for Polynesia, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these
websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to
Polynesia. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites,
which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to Polynesia' below.

Local bird and wildlife guides in Polynesia

The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders.
Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are
the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional
skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently,
employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the
wildlife you wish to see.

Accommodation for birders in Polynesia

Some Organized Tours for birds and other wildlife to Polynesia

There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other
wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably
according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours
last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an
important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals
and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and
transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where
the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the
cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local
transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and
that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those
which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously
lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit.
Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are
certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are
the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional
skills of the local guides they employ.

While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom
tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set
itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes,
whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made
attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are
also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds
or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best
sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the
pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit
people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of
strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small
groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with
a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the
price quoted for a set tour.

Tour companies who are running organized tours to Polynesia in the next couple
of years include the following. Many of these also offer custom tours.